牛津書(shū)蟲(chóng)系列 霧都孤兒 Chapter14

14 The end of the mystery
The next day Oliver travelled with Mr Brown low ，Dr Losberne，Mrs May lie and Rose back to his birthplace.He had been told a little of his history，and knew that the re would be more explanations at the end of this journey.He was anxious and uncertain，wondering what he would hear.
But towards the end of the journey，he began to recognize familiar places，and in great excitement pointed the m out to Rose.The re was the path he had taken when he had run away.The re，across the fields，was the ‘baby farm’.The n，as They drove into the town，he saw the house of Mr So wer berry the undertaker，and the workhouse that had been his prison.
They stopped at the biggest hotel in the town，and went in to their rooms.During dinner Mr Brown low stayed in a separate room，and the older members of the group went in and out with serious faces.Mrs May lie came back with her eyes red from crying.All this made Rose and Oliver，who had not been told any new secrets，very nervous and uncomfortable.
At nine o’clock Dr Losberne and Mr Brown low brought Monks into the room.Oliver was very surprised;this was the same man he had bumped into once outside a pub，and seen another time with Fagin，looking in at him through the window of the country cottage.Oliver was told that Monks was his half-brother，and the boy stared at him in shock and amazement.Monks looked back at him with hatred.
‘We have the whole story here in the se papers，’said Mr Brown low ，putting the m on the table. ‘All we need now is for you to sign the m，Monks.And to tell Oliver what happened.’
Monks started hesitantly. ‘My father had arrived in Italy to collect the money he had inherited，when suddenly he fell ill.When he died，we found two papers in his desk.One was a letter to his girl;the other was a will.’
‘What was the letter?’asked Mr Brown low .
‘It was written when he was ill，telling the girl how ashamed he was that she was pregnant.He asked her not to remember him as a bad man but as someone who had made a mistake.He reminded her of the day he’d given her the locket and ring.’
Oliver’s tears fell fast as he listened to the story of his father.
‘And what about the will?’asked Mr Brown low .
Monks was silent.
‘The will，’continued Mr Brown low ，speaking for him， ‘was in the same spirit as the letter.He talked of the misery of his marriage to his wife，and the evil character of you，Monks，his only son，who had been brought up by your mother to hate him.He left you and your mother an annual income of $800.The rest of his property he left to his girl Agnes and to their child，if it were born alive，and if it showed itself to be of a good，kind character.The money would only go to you，Monks，as the older son，if The younger turned out to be as evil as you.’
‘My mother，’said Monks， ‘burnt this will，and never sent the letter.The girl Agnes left her home in secret，so that her pregnancy would not bring shame on her family.I swore to my mother，when she was dying，that if I ever found my half-brother，I would do him all the harm I could.He would feel my hatred like a whip on his back.I paid Fagin to trap Oliver into a life of crime.But the n he escaped，and that stupid，interfering girl Nancy talked to you.If I’d had the chance，I would have finished what I’d begun.’Monks stared at Oliver，and his lips moved in a silent curse.
‘And the locket and ring?’asked Mr Brown low .
‘I bought the m from Mr and Mrs Bumble，who had stolen the m from the nurse，who had stolen the m from Agnes，the dead girl.I’ve already told you how I threw the m into the river.
Mr Brown low turned to Rose. ‘I have one more thing to explain，’he said to the girl.
‘I don’t know if I have the strength to hear it now，’she murmured， ‘having heard so much already.’
Mr Brown low put his hand under her arm. ‘You have a great deal of courage，dear child，’he said kindly.He turned to Monks. ‘Do you know this young lady，sir?’
‘Yes.’
‘I don’t know you，’said Rose faintly.
‘The father of poor Agnes had two daughters，’said Mr Brown low . ‘What happened to the other one，who was only a young child at the time?’
‘When Agnes disappeared，’replied Monks， ‘her father changed his name and moved to a lonely place in Wales，where no one would know about the family shame.He died very soon afterwards，and this young daughter was taken in by some poor people.My mother hated Agnes and everybody connected with her.She hunted for this young sister，and made sure that her life would be unhappy.She told the poor people who had taken her in that the girl was illegitimate，and that she came from a bad family with an evil reputation.So the child led a life of miserable poverty-until Mrs May lie saw her by chance，pitied her，and took her home.’
‘And do you see this young sister now?’asked Mr Brown low .
‘Yes.Standing by your side.’
Rose could hardly speak. ‘So…Oliver is my nephew?’
‘I can never call you aunt，’cried Oliver. ‘You’ll always be my own dear sister!’
They ran into each other’s arms，both of the m crying in their happiness.A father，sister and mother had been lost and gained，and it was too much for one evening.They stood for a long time in silence，and the others left the m alone.
The court was full of faces;from every corner，all eyes were on one man-Fagin.In front of him，behind，above，below -he seemed surrounded by staring eyes.Not one of the faces showed any sympathy towards him;all were determined that he should hang.At last，the re was a cry of ‘Silence!’，and everyone looked towards the door.The jury returned，and passed close to Fagin.He could tell nothing from their faces;They could have been made of stone.The n the re was complete stillness-not a whisper，not a breath…Guilty.The whole court rang with a great shout，echoing through all the rooms as the crowd ran out of the building to tell all the people waiting outside.The news was that he would die on Monday.
Fagin thought of nothing but death that night.He began to remember all the people he had ever known who had been hung.He could hardly count the m.They might have sat in the same prison cell as he was sitting in now.He thought about death by hanging-the rope，the cloth bag over the head，the sudden change from strong men to bundles of clothe s，hanging at the end of a rope.
As his last night came，despair seized Fagin’s evil soul.He could not sit still，and hurried up and down his small cell，gasping with terror，his eyes flashing with hate and anger.The n he lay trembling on his stone bed and listened to the clock striking the hours.Where would he be when those hours came round again?
In the middle of that Sunday night，Mr Brown low and Oliver were allowed to enter the prison.Several strong doors were unlocked，and eventually They entered Fagin’s cell.The old robber was sitting on the bed，whispering to himself，his face more like a trapped animal’s than a human’s.
‘You have some papers，F(xiàn)agin，’said Mr Brown low quietly， ‘which were given to you by Monks to look after.’
‘It’s a lie!’replied Fagin，not looking at him. ‘I haven’t got any.’
‘For the love of God，’said Mr Brown low ，very seriously， ‘don’t lie to us now，on the night before your death.You know that Sikes is dead and Monks has confessed.Where are the papers?’
‘I’ll tell you，Oliver，’said Fagin. ‘Come here.’He whispered to him. ‘They’re in a bag up the chimney in the front room at the top of the house.But I want to talk to you，my dear.’
‘Yes，’said Oliver. ‘Will you pray with me?’
‘Outside，outside，’said Fagin，pushing the boy in front of him towards the door. ‘Say I’ve gone to sleep-They’ll believe you.You can take me out with you when you go.’The old man’s eyes shone with a mad light.
‘It’s no good，’said Mr Brown low ，taking Oliver’s hand . ‘He’s gone too far，and we can never reach him now.’
The cell door opened，and as the visitors left，F(xiàn)agin started struggling and fighting with his guards，screaming so loudly that the prison walls rang with the sound.
They left the prison building in the grey light of dawn.Outside in the street，huge crowds were already gathering，joking and laughing，and pushing to get the best places near the great black platform，where the rope hung ready for its morning’s work.
Less than three months later，Rose married Harry May lie.For her sake，Harry had abandoned his political ambitions，and had become a simple man of the church.The re was no longer any mystery about Rose’s birth，but even if the re had been，Harry would not have cared.They lived next to the church in a peaceful village.Mrs May lie went to live with the m，and spent the rest of her days in quiet contentment.
Mr Brown low adopted Oliver as his son.They moved to a house in the same quiet village，and were just as happy.Dr Losberne discovered suddenly that the air in Chertsey did not suit him.In less than three months he，too，had moved-to a cottage just outside the village，where he took up gardening and fishing with great energy and enthusiasm.
Mr Brown low suggested that half the remaining money from the will should be given to Monks and the other half to Oliver，although by law it should all have gone to Oliver alone.Oliver was glad to accept the suggestion.Monks went off with his money to the other side of the world，where he spent it quickly and was soon in prison for another act of fraud.In prison he became ill and died.The remaining members of Fagin’s gang died in similar ways in other distant countries，all except Charley Bates，who turned his back on his past life of crime and lived honestly，as a farmer.
Noah Claypole was given a free pardon for telling the police about Fagin.He soon became employed as an informer for the police，spying on people and telling the police about anyone who had broken the law.Mr and Mrs Bumble lost their jobs and became poorer and poorer，eventually living in poverty in the same workhouse that They had once managed.
In that quiet country village，Theyears passed peacefully.Mr Brown low filled the mind of his adopted son with knowledge，and as he watched the boy grow up，he was reminded more and more of his old friend，Oliver’s father.The two orphans，Rose and Oliver，led lives that were truly happy.The hardships that They had once suffered had left no bitterness in their gentle souls，and all their lives They showed the mercy and kindness to others that God himself shows to all things that breathe .
14 揭開(kāi)秘密
第二天，奧利弗與布朗洛先生、羅斯伯恩醫(yī)生、梅利夫人以及羅斯一起回到他的出生地。在途中，他已得知了有關(guān)他過(guò)去的一些事情，知道在旅行結(jié)束時(shí)會(huì)聽(tīng)到更多的解釋。他焦急不安，心中無(wú)主，揣摩著他還將會(huì)聽(tīng)到些什么事情。
路快走完了，他逐漸地認(rèn)出了那些熟悉的地方，十分激動(dòng)地把這些地方指給羅斯看。那兒是他當(dāng)初逃離時(shí)走過(guò)的小道。田野的另一端是育嬰堂。他們駕車(chē)進(jìn)鎮(zhèn)子時(shí)，他看到了棺材店老板索爾貝里先生的房子，以及他曾在其中過(guò)著囚徒生活的濟(jì)貧院。
他們?cè)阪?zhèn)上最大的一座旅館前停了下來(lái)，進(jìn)了各自的房間。晚餐時(shí)，布朗洛先生待在一個(gè)單獨(dú)的房間里，其他年長(zhǎng)的人進(jìn)出這房間時(shí)都板著嚴(yán)肅的面孔。梅利夫人出來(lái)時(shí)兩眼哭得通紅。羅斯和奧利弗對(duì)這一切感到非常緊張和不安，因?yàn)樗麄兾丛桓嬷魏涡碌拿孛芮闆r。
9點(diǎn)鐘時(shí)，羅斯伯恩醫(yī)生和布朗洛先生把蒙克斯帶了進(jìn)來(lái)。奧利弗感到很驚訝，這正是同奧利弗在酒館外撞個(gè)滿(mǎn)懷的那個(gè)人，也正是曾經(jīng)和費(fèi)金一起透過(guò)村舍的窗戶(hù)窺視奧利弗的那個(gè)人。大家告訴奧利弗，蒙克斯是他的異母哥哥。奧利弗用訝異和震驚的目光看著蒙克斯，蒙克斯也回看著他，眼里充滿(mǎn)了仇恨。
布朗洛先生把一些文件放在桌子上說(shuō)：“所有的事情都寫(xiě)在這里!我們只要你在上面簽字，蒙克斯，還要你親口告訴奧利弗所發(fā)生的一切。”
蒙克斯猶猶豫豫地開(kāi)始道：“我父親到意大利去取他繼承的錢(qián)財(cái)，卻突然病倒了。他死后，我們?cè)谒淖雷永锇l(fā)現(xiàn)了兩份文件，一份是給那個(gè)女孩的信，另一份是一份遺囑。”
“什么信?”布朗洛先生問(wèn)。
“這封信是他在患病時(shí)寫(xiě)的，他在信中告訴那個(gè)女孩，他對(duì)她懷孕這件事感到多么羞愧。他請(qǐng)求她不要把他當(dāng)作壞人來(lái)記憶，他只是一個(gè)犯了錯(cuò)誤的人。他還提醒她記住他送給她戒指以及小金盒的那一天。”
奧利弗一面聽(tīng)著他父親的事，一面不停地流著眼淚。
“遺囑后來(lái)怎樣說(shuō)?”布朗洛先生問(wèn)道。
蒙克斯沒(méi)有回答。
“那份遺囑，”布朗洛先生接著說(shuō)，“和信中所說(shuō)的意思是一樣的。他在里面講到了他同他妻子的痛苦婚姻以及他唯一的兒子蒙克斯——也就是你——的邪惡性格，你母親撫養(yǎng)你成人時(shí)一直教你憎恨你父親。他留給你和你的母親每年800英鎊的收入。其余的財(cái)產(chǎn)都留給了那個(gè)少女阿格尼絲以及他們的孩子，如果這個(gè)孩子能活下來(lái)，并且成長(zhǎng)為一個(gè)善良的好孩子的話。如果這個(gè)孩子變得像你一樣邪惡，那么你蒙克斯作為長(zhǎng)子，有權(quán)擁有所有這些錢(qián)。”
蒙克斯說(shuō)：“我母親燒了這份遺囑，也沒(méi)有把信發(fā)出去。那個(gè)少女阿格尼絲偷偷地離開(kāi)了家，因?yàn)樗辉缸寫(xiě)言羞@件事使她的家庭蒙上恥辱。我母親死時(shí)，我向她發(fā)誓，如果我遇上我那異母兄弟的話，我會(huì)竭盡全力地傷害他的。他會(huì)感到我的憎恨就像鞭子抽打在他的背上。我付給費(fèi)金錢(qián)，是讓他設(shè)圈套給奧利弗鉆，使他過(guò)上犯罪的生活。但他逃脫了，而那個(gè)愚蠢的好管閑事的南希把一切都告訴了你們。如果我機(jī)緣好的話，我本來(lái)是能夠完成已經(jīng)開(kāi)始做的事的。”蒙克斯盯著奧利弗，嘴唇蠕動(dòng)，不出聲地暗暗詛咒著。
“那么戒指和那個(gè)盒子呢?”布朗洛先生問(wèn)。
“那個(gè)老看護(hù)從死去的姑娘阿格尼絲那里偷走了它們，班布爾太太又從看護(hù)那里偷了來(lái)，我最終從班布爾夫婦那里花錢(qián)買(mǎi)下了它們。我已告訴過(guò)你們，我是如何把它們?nèi)舆M(jìn)河里的。”
布朗洛先生轉(zhuǎn)向羅斯，對(duì)她說(shuō)：“我還有一件事要解釋。”
“我真不知是否還有力氣聽(tīng)下去，”她嘟噥道，“今天已聽(tīng)得太多了!”
布朗洛先生把手扶在羅斯的胳膊下，和善地對(duì)她說(shuō)：“親愛(ài)的孩子，你是很堅(jiān)強(qiáng)的。”他回頭向蒙克斯問(wèn)道：“先生，你認(rèn)識(shí)這位小姐嗎?”
“認(rèn)識(shí)。”
“我不認(rèn)識(shí)你。”羅斯用微弱的聲音說(shuō)道。
布朗洛先生說(shuō)：“可憐的阿格尼絲的父親有兩個(gè)女兒，他另外的一個(gè)女兒呢?當(dāng)時(shí)還是個(gè)小孩的那個(gè)?”
蒙克斯回答道：“阿格尼絲失蹤后，她父親改了姓名，并把家搬到了威爾士的一個(gè)偏僻的地方，在那里沒(méi)人會(huì)知道他家庭的恥辱。沒(méi)多久他便去世了，他的小女兒因此就被一些窮人領(lǐng)養(yǎng)了。我母親痛恨阿格尼絲以及所有和她有關(guān)的人，她四處尋找她的妹妹，并千方百計(jì)讓她受折磨。她跟領(lǐng)養(yǎng)這個(gè)小女孩的窮人說(shuō)這女孩是個(gè)私生子，說(shuō)女孩出生在一個(gè)名聲敗壞的罪惡的家庭。于是，這個(gè)小女孩一直過(guò)著窮苦悲慘的生活——直到梅利夫人偶然見(jiàn)到她，可憐她，并把她帶回家。”
“你現(xiàn)在看見(jiàn)這位妹妹了嗎?”布朗洛先生問(wèn)道。
“是的，就是站在你身旁的那位小姐。”
羅斯幾乎說(shuō)不出話來(lái)。“那么說(shuō)……奧利弗是我的外甥?”
這時(shí)奧利弗喊道：“我永遠(yuǎn)不叫你姨媽?zhuān)阌肋h(yuǎn)是我的親愛(ài)的親姐姐!”
他們擁抱在一起，高興地流著淚。父親，母親，姐妹，失去之后又重新得到，這一晚發(fā)生的事情太多了。他們長(zhǎng)時(shí)間地站在那里沉默不語(yǔ)，其他人都不去打擾他們。
法庭上坐滿(mǎn)了人，每一個(gè)角落里的每一雙眼睛都注視著一個(gè)人——費(fèi)金。在他前后左右，上上下下，似乎有無(wú)數(shù)雙瞪大的眼睛包圍著他。沒(méi)有一個(gè)人流露出同情。他們都認(rèn)為對(duì)他應(yīng)處以絞刑。終于，大家聽(tīng)到一聲大喊：“肅靜!”隨后所有人都看著門(mén)口。陪審團(tuán)回來(lái)了，從費(fèi)金身旁走過(guò)。他無(wú)法從他們臉上看出自己的命運(yùn);他們的臉孔像石頭一樣沒(méi)有表情。大廳里一片靜寂——沒(méi)有竊竊私語(yǔ)，沒(méi)有呼吸聲……“有罪!”整個(gè)法庭響起了吶喊聲，喊聲在各個(gè)房間回蕩著，因?yàn)槿藗兌急汲鰳侨?，把消息告訴等在門(mén)外的人們：費(fèi)金將在星期一被處死。
那天晚上，費(fèi)金唯一想到的就是死。他開(kāi)始回憶所有那些他認(rèn)識(shí)的被處以絞刑的人。他根本數(shù)不清了。他們當(dāng)初也許就是被關(guān)在眼下他坐著的這間囚室里。他想到了被絞死的情景——繩子，套在頭上的布袋子，一個(gè)強(qiáng)壯的人忽然變?yōu)橐粓F(tuán)衣服，懸掛在繩子的一端。
當(dāng)最后一個(gè)夜晚來(lái)臨時(shí)，絕望吞噬著費(fèi)金那罪惡的心靈。他坐立不安，在他的小牢房里上竄下跳，驚恐地喘著粗氣，眼睛里閃爍著憤怒和憎恨的光。然后，他哆哆嗦嗦地躺在石頭床上，聽(tīng)著報(bào)時(shí)的鐘聲。當(dāng)這些時(shí)刻再次到來(lái)時(shí)，他會(huì)在哪里呢?
在那個(gè)星期天的半夜里，布朗洛先生和奧利弗被允許進(jìn)入牢房。幾扇沉重的大門(mén)開(kāi)了鎖，最終他們進(jìn)入了費(fèi)金的牢房。這個(gè)老強(qiáng)盜正坐在床上，喃喃自語(yǔ)，他的臉不像人臉，更像一個(gè)落網(wǎng)的動(dòng)物的臉。
“費(fèi)金，蒙克斯曾給你幾份文件讓你保管。”布朗洛先生平靜地說(shuō)。
“那是謊話，我一份都沒(méi)有!”費(fèi)金回答說(shuō)，眼睛不看著布朗洛先生。
此時(shí)，布朗洛先生非常嚴(yán)肅地說(shuō)：“看在上帝的份上，在你死前的夜晚，不要對(duì)我們?cè)偃鲋e了。你知道賽克斯已經(jīng)死了，蒙克斯已坦白說(shuō)出了一切。那些文件在什么地方?”
“奧利弗，我告訴你，”費(fèi)金說(shuō)，“你過(guò)來(lái)。”他在奧利弗耳邊低聲說(shuō)：“它們?cè)谖曳孔幼钌蠈忧拔轃焽枥锏囊粋€(gè)袋子里?？墒?，親愛(ài)的，我想和你說(shuō)幾句話。”
“好吧，”奧利弗說(shuō)道，“你愿和我一起祈禱嗎?”
“到外面去，到外面去，”費(fèi)金說(shuō)著，把奧利弗擋在自己前面推向門(mén)口。“跟他們說(shuō)我睡著了——他們會(huì)相信你的。你們走時(shí)，可以把我?guī)С鋈ァ?rdquo;老頭子的眼睛瘋狂地亮了起來(lái)。
布朗洛先生拉著奧利弗的手說(shuō)：“沒(méi)有用了。他已經(jīng)瘋了，現(xiàn)在我們?cè)僖膊荒苷f(shuō)服他了。”
牢門(mén)打開(kāi)了，當(dāng)來(lái)訪者離開(kāi)的時(shí)候，費(fèi)金開(kāi)始掙扎，和看守打斗起來(lái)，他大聲尖叫，使牢房的墻壁都產(chǎn)生了回響。
在青灰色的晨光中，他們離開(kāi)了監(jiān)獄。外面的大街上已聚集了擁擠的人群，他們時(shí)而說(shuō)著玩笑話，時(shí)而放聲大笑，擠來(lái)擠去，都想找到離黑色平臺(tái)最近的地方。在那兒，絞索已經(jīng)掛起來(lái)，為當(dāng)天早上的工作準(zhǔn)備好了。
不到三個(gè)月后，羅斯和哈里·梅利結(jié)了婚。為了她，哈里已放棄了他的政治抱負(fù)，做了教堂里一個(gè)普通的工作人員。有關(guān)羅斯的出生不再存在任何秘密，但即使有，哈里也不會(huì)在意的。他們住在教堂旁邊的一個(gè)平靜的村莊里，梅利夫人搬去和他們一起生活，在平靜滿(mǎn)足中安度晚年。
布朗洛先生把奧利弗收為養(yǎng)子。他們搬進(jìn)了同一個(gè)安靜的村莊里的一所房子，同樣過(guò)著幸福的生活。羅斯伯恩醫(yī)生突然發(fā)現(xiàn)切特賽的空氣并不適合他，不到三個(gè)月后，他也搬了家——搬到了村子外的一個(gè)小農(nóng)舍里，在那里他開(kāi)始從事園藝和釣魚(yú)，精力充沛，興趣盎然。
布朗洛先生建議遺囑中剩下的錢(qián)一半歸蒙克斯，另一半歸奧利弗，盡管按法律規(guī)定，奧利弗應(yīng)獨(dú)自擁有全部財(cái)產(chǎn)。奧利弗非常高興地接受了這一建議。蒙克斯拿走了他的錢(qián)后去了世界的另一邊，他很快就把錢(qián)花光了，不久就因另一起詐騙行為入獄。在獄中，他生病死去。費(fèi)金那一伙中剩下的人在其他一些遙遠(yuǎn)的國(guó)度以相似的方式先后死去，只有查理·貝茨除外，他痛改前非，做了一名老老實(shí)實(shí)的農(nóng)民。
由于諾厄·克萊普爾向警察揭發(fā)了費(fèi)金的罪行，他得到了寬耍他不久就被警察局雇用為眼線，暗中監(jiān)視別人，并向警察局舉報(bào)那些犯法的人。班布爾夫婦二人失去了工作，越來(lái)越窮，最終生活在他們?cè)?jīng)管理過(guò)的濟(jì)貧院里，過(guò)著貧困的生活。
在那個(gè)安靜的村落里，年復(fù)一年，人們過(guò)著平靜的生活。布朗洛先生教給他的養(yǎng)子許多知識(shí)。他看著這個(gè)男孩逐漸長(zhǎng)大，愈發(fā)想起他的老朋友——奧利弗的父親。兩個(gè)孤兒，羅斯和奧利弗，過(guò)著真正幸福的生活。他們?cè)馐苓^(guò)的艱難困苦并沒(méi)有給他們善良的心靈留下創(chuàng)傷，在他們的一生中，他們對(duì)其他人表現(xiàn)出的同情與善良就像上帝對(duì)一切生靈所表現(xiàn)的一樣。